realize, i can win national elections. can they go back? i think they will go back to something that is a hybrid of this high that people have now and something else that is more sustainable. so society is divided and confused. this can go on for a while. this is one set of discoveries. there are other things that move everybody in the direction of settling down. ow about excepting that you do not understand? the last point will be about the united states. of course it is hard as we agree. before you got more by doing less. this is painful because it is ew to the united states. it can be done in an

intelligent way. i think talking in certain contexts always hurts. when i am misunderstood, i do not think i should have an incentive to explain. sometimes that provides additional miss understanding. sometimes as a teacher you think you are the master. sometimes i introduce materials to the students that are just beyond their capacity. i understand a week later it is not happening. k, i will fix this in 30 minutes. it doesn't usually work like that. eople need time. miss understanding leads to further misunderstanding. i do not know anything about

the hidden paths of diplomacy and politics. i recognize it is a moment of suspicion. it doesn't have to last. if they -- this is a rational. you do not benefit by being part of this conversation. i have no thought about the long-term plans. to my mind, the best to do is always to do less and make it sound as if i do not have to eal with some of these details. they are being determined by the population. this is a very strange moment in history. think about the history of democracy. is a funny animal where the free males come together and they vote or it is the institutions that are very controlled and there are usually a lot of factors outside of the elections.

what you have is something different. taking the ancient idea of people coming out -- the numbers are different, millions. what do you do if you have a ity where you could have hundreds of thousands of people here and they are saying something different? that led to the ridiculous conclusion of counting by airplanes. for an outsider, there was no reason to pretend you understand what you do not understand. there is no understanding to take that position as a teacher by solving a problem in 20 minutes. take a deep breath and maybe learn something about what is going on. figure out what is going on. thank you. >> thank you. there are some seats up front. do not be shy. i am going to open the q&a

period with a question to both of the speakers. it is a subject on which you id not really touch on any death and that is the question which i say the potential for people to react in a violent direction. disappointed in democratic politics. some people might say, this does not work for us. maybe something else well. do you have a sense that that might be happening in egypt today? do you have a sense that reaction would spread more broadly in the islamic world?

>> i would say that anything that happens in sinai is its wn special creature in egypt. violence there is not related to violence elsewhere. if you look at the beginning of the anti-coup protests. ou sell people part of the and people in around me have noticed i have this permanent smile on my face for the last few days. it has been a joy to be back here and meet a lot of old friends and go to a lot of places i have been before. i was at a grill and there's my name on the wall. i said, i guess i have been here before. just the old times sake, we went to the blue bunny ice ream parlor. it has been great to be back in to visit with folks yesterday

at the fair. we centered our trip around being here. first of all, thank you, bob. and thank you to you. karen and i, we entered into this race to put our faith in two things. in this order. in god and tried to walk the path he is laid before us and to put our faith in iowa. and we decided to make urselves available to people here and talk about the issues and give them a chance to get to know me. not these folks down here, but through the folks sitting across the table at the coffee hop. and so, i have a lot of faith still that the people in 2016 and beyond to use their good

judgment and do what no other state has the opportunity to do. i am back here to say thank you and to speak into an important issue that we are dealing with in the conservative movement. before i do that, i want to pick up on what bob said. we are very excited. we are using a young man from iowa as our contract we are putting an addition in our ouse starting this week. an elevator and handicap bathroom because of bella is getting too big for us to carry. that is the best investment we ave ever made. [applause] i wanted to come here because i cannot think of a better place to come and talk about what is

oing on in the national debate ithin the republican party. there's a group of folks interested enough from those on the right of the public and joining those on the left of the republican saying we need to talk about more one thing and less of one other thing. i want to share my thoughts. it is interesting that moderate republicans, the big cities, the political experts that got us through the last election -- they are the ones who are aying and joining with the ones on the far right who are saying we need to talk about economics. we need to talk about jobs and entrepreneurs and business and

how we are going to build this economy. if you listen to the republic candidates for the last couple of elections and the rhetoric that is coming out of both of these sites, it celebrates the free market system which is the greatest system in the history of the world. it celebrates heroes of the entrepreneurs, the big businesses that have been successful. all well and good. ut we are missing something in that message. i talked about it touring the ampaign all over the country. something a lot of folks did not really capture when they said, how did he do so well? i mention that over one third -- i am sorry, two thirds of americans do not go to college. very few of them will be entrepreneurs. and we need to talk to them, too. we need to celebrate again. we can not only support the job creators, but the jobholders. we have cap a message for hem. on the night i got an

opportunity, i thank you mitt romney for speaking. there was placards on every seat that said we built this. if you recall, president obama has the data some folks -- castigated some folks that they did not build their business on their own. i was backstage and i watched one after another of people of ll races and men and women come forward, business people and talk about how they built their business. but not one time did we seized -- see somebody talking about working for the man or woman who built the business and how that helped them and their amilies. we need to be able to communicate to the folks that

hold the jobs and tell them and put a platform together that focuses on them. not everybody in america wants a business and money is everything to them. a lot of folks want to spend time with their families. work in community groups. spend time at their church. we, as republicans, believe that is a good thing. we do not talk about it. and we do not talk to them. it is to take a page out of our book and start putting forth an agenda of ideas to raise up folks who want to vote for us. you saw the last election. they did not want to vote for president obama. but at least he went and talked to them and about them. we did not do that. we marginalized them. first and foremost, we need to reject the idea that if we build the economy, everybody will be fine. most people have holes in their boats.

we need to talk about people who have holes in their boats. we all do. we all need help from each other. the second thing is we need to talk less about the culture. he people who do this is those who do not want to talk about culture in the first place. as a result, do not engage as we have in this party. i will give you an example. when i was running for president, i went to a breakfast to some the wealthiest backers in new

york. i sat down at this breakfast and they grilled me for half an hour on my moral and cultural position. i stopped and said you have other candidates up here. did you ask them the same questions? they have the same positions as i do. they looked at me and said, you are different. i said, why? because you mean it. don't you think the american public knows when a group of people get in front of them and talk about things when they do not mean it? how can we win this debate if you have people talking who do not mean it? who do not have the passion? we are losing this debate not because of politics because let's be honest about it.

a litigious did not change the culture. -- politicians did not change the culture. popular culture changed. we have a responsibility. we as conservatives should not just be involved in the political front. it is what the left does better than we do. they lived up there -- they live out there beliefs. they do not just play politics. they take politics into everything they do. and they mean it. they are passionate. there are twice as many conservatives than liberals. has been the same for 40 or 50 years. yet this country continues to go in their direction. why? they work harder at it. they understand what moves the

country. aristotle said, "give me the story and i will control the nation in a generation." who tells the stories to your children and to you? people like you? stephen baldwin is out here. people like him do not tell stories in hollywood. if they do, they are low-budget films that never get any attention. and what we do about it? nothing. we sit back passively and try to protect our family from it. the average child in america spends eight hours in front of one of these screens. eight hours a day. 365 days a year. on average, they spent 10 minutes a day on average talking to their parents or going to church. who is raising your children? it was at one time for 150 years the storytellers, it was he family. it was the church, civic and community organizations.

they imparted the moral imagination. t is no longer the case. for us to think we can win the country back politically when the culture shows your children that people like them are weird, people who hold their values are bigoted or hateful - it is no wonder young people are supporting the other side. they do not know the truth. here is my challenge to each and every one of you. to engage. i've set up a couple of organizations. i am working with patriot voices. we are engaged with the political front. we are going to be focus on developing an agenda for the average american so we could communicate in terms of the

economy that they can understand free markets and principles we believe will help them and programs to emonstrate that. particularly the folks that are he two thirds that are not going to college. secondly, i started a company a movie production and distribution company based in dallas, texas. we are going to make faith and amily films. e are going to go out and make aith and family films and give you, the american public, the tools to go out and change the culture. to bring people in and reaffirm their values to show the truth. for 1900 years, the greatest creators of art were people in

and around the church. the great music, the great sculptors, the great painters, all visual arts as well as musical arts were all in and around the church. but in the last 100 years, the worst art has been coming out of the church. you want to see films, you see the inferior production to see something that reaffirms your values. as i do my job now, i say to you, can't we make god beautiful? why can't we tell the truth, the good, and the beautiful in a way that is compelling and ntertaining and inspiring?

that is my mission. i'm going to stay involved and be involved in politics to shape this debate. if we are going to be successful, as a party and more importantly in this country, we need to have a revitalized culture. we need to engage in it. that is where you come in. the left lives and breathes their values. this administration wants to make sure that does not appen. you have already seen policies that are being put forward that is changing the freedom of religion in this country. you even see, internationally the state department use a term not freedom of religion but freedom of worship. it is ok to be in the four walls of the church and worship, would not -- but do

not take that and practice outside of the church. they will restrict you. it is beginning to happen already and it will explode. i will never forget the quote given by the cardinal in chicago. he said, i expect to die in my bed. i expect my successor to die in prison. and his successor to die a martyr. unless we begin to do what they do and use not the policies. we cannot agree with the established republicans, but we need to change our tactics to be more like they are. what do we have to do? how do we fix this? i always go back to the evolution.

how did we win the revolution? did we have better soldiers or leadership? more resources? more people? we are fighting not only the ritish, but the loyalists. how did we win in the american revolution? because we wanted it more than a bit -- than they did. they want it more, the left. we are complacent that things will be ok because we are americans and everything will be ok. but not for such a time as this. this is a time to work each and everyone you has to engage. when your business is against our values, do not sit and take it. they do not. they make it uncomfortable. they made uncomfortable for their businesses and their schools, for their community

groups, civic organizations. look at the boy scouts. the back cover the majority of people? -- did that come from the majority of people? no, they cared to fight. we will be the generation to let america slip through and become a descendent not of the american revolution but of the french revolution and government given rights. the only way to stop this is not just in politics, but in every aspect of your being. here's my challenge to you. i need you to think about and pray about it. i need you to pray about what god is asking you to do. you are here for a reason to hear this message. you need to pray about what he wants you to do in every aspect of your life to live what you believe and live the first principles of america.

and go out and make a difference in our country. we are twice as strong, number ise as they are. if we adopt the same passion, the same commitment as the other side does, and put the pressure on hollywood, support good films, good television and encourage your children to get involved in the arts. do not discourage them. encourage them. make a stand. prepare them for when they go to college. send them to college. if you are a contributor to colleges that of burnt the minds of our children, stop giving the money. -- avert the minds of our children, stop giving them money. you need to live it. that is the word -- live it. if you live it, you can say i am here in iowa. what can i do?

you are a fairly important state as you know. you are also the heartland. if a few people gather in california and new york can change iowa, tough hawkeyes can change them back, too. i want to say thank you again or giving me the opportunity to be able to have our voice heard in the last election. and now it is back on you. it is time to let our voices be heard and save america. god bless you. thank you. [applause]

>> thank you, that's really nice. thank you. well, it is my honor and bob has become a friend of mine over the years and there are a lot of things that people don't know about me. maybe we should start by putting up that confirmation picture. can we have it? it's around here some place. put that up. do you believe this? do you see it? isn't he cute? ot really. that was my confirmation. first presbyterian church in queens, new york. a great group of people. i still remember it. i am a little older. hat is my real hair.

[laughter] it is an honor to be here. i've always loved iowa. the people of iowa are hard-working people. omething we have to see more of in this country when you look at what is going on the united states. what is going on in the country we love, we need people to work and we need leadership that is smart. [applause] interestingly, we are a free trade country. it is not really free trade if you look what is going on in the manipulation of other currencies especially china. free trade is ok if you have really smart leadership. when your leadership is not up to par,when it is not smart, sometimes your leadership is incompetent, free trade is really had for us.

we are in the wrong end. when i look at what is going on with this country, when i look at $17 trillion, the word you id not hear 10 years ago, it did not exist. that is all you hear. 17 trillion in debt. ou look at deficits that are record-setting. they are not going to get better. the market is false. about two years ago, i said i was going to invest in the stock market. the market had to go up because f the federal reserve. i said the market has to go up. it giving you free money. that is a false economy.

i better not speak too much about it. it is a false economy. it is not real. when you look at unemployment and it is 7.4%, 7.4%, it is probably anywhere from 15%-17%. it is incredible. [applause] the other day, the numbers came out. they were not good. lots of bad things were happening. the only good thing that happened was 7.5% to 7.4%. ow come it keeps going down? people stopped looking for work. they do not count them. how phony can anything get? it is not real and it is not right. we are kidding ourselves. our country is in serious trouble. we have problems like we have not had it before. and we have jobs that are just isappearing.

the republican party is in serious trouble. because we have elections coming up we have to win and efeat obamacare. whether people like or do not like, it is killing the business and is going to destroy the base of the country. when i see all of the different senators, many others who are so strongly opposed to obamacare. you have to give them credit for what they are trying to o. they know where we are going. it is not a good place. our country is in trouble, but our country has tremendous

potential with the right leadership. tremendous potential. we have so many different issues that have to be solved. i was listening to bob and a couple of your speakers. it is true, you need border security. you have to have it. people come in and they're -- they stay and they stay for whatever they want. by the way. legally, they in get green cards they get everything. and they go. go.ally, they but people come in illegally. or youher have a country don't. and having a country starts with borders.at your -- just cannot continue

[ applause ] you can just cannot continue now. what we're doing now when it comes to the ration, you have to do right thing. you have to in your own heart lives, ealing with you're dealing with human beings, you have to do the right thing thing. but it's got to be done smart methodical. let's say i hear the number, knows what the number is. 11 million illegals. higher than uch tha that.

they're not voting republican. and whether senator rubio is fight, the immigration fight, or not it's irrelevant. voting going to be democratic. that's the way it is. taken democrats have hold of the issue. they love the issue. right but be very careful because it could be a the party.for talking about 11 million people to get re not going those votes, you're not going to get them easily. careful,to be a little it's very, very important to the republican party. it's an important issue. properly.o do it that's immigration. lmost so many different levels of fairness and unfairness. ut it has to be handled

properly. and you have to start with the border. going? here the republicans seem to want to do something i know they on strongly and very strongly and they're going to do then all of a sudden it by developing a really powerful engine, really power fful but it comes to the engine, the economy, if we can rev up this economy like it should be, not false numbers like 7.4%

unemployment. but with real numbers and we could take back jobs from china to say you ear not going manipulate your currency any longer. t's very, very hard to buy product from our country -- i'm a victim of it also, because hey manipulate better than anybody has ever manipulated a currency before ever. better, it's better made. i know much about chinese product and i know about over the rom all world. i'm building all over the world. i just got the old post office avenue.ylvania can you believe this? you have the white house, you have congress. i'm building right in the middle. hotel. can you believe this? sort of interesting. going to be one of the great hotels. a lot of people are going to be working there, it will put a lot of people to work. going to take care of families through ducation, health care. but i'm proud of it. dural, 800 acres in the

middle of miami. people who oorly by have no idea what they're doing. very much like our nation, by the way. years, it will be the hot epps resort in the country. does everybody agree with that? so?hink right? it will. it's been my record so, you know. it's not so different from this country. when was the last time as an a major bridge being built in the united states? you don't see it anymore. they're building 47 assive bridges like the verrazano, like the golden gate. that's peanuts now. bridges now. building bridges, airport, other countries, not just china. i speak of china, i have to tell you, in "business week" things it chinese want. one of the ten things was anything trump. wanted anything trump. isn't that crazy. i knock the hell out of them. for it.pect you

i have friends in china. they can't believe what they get away with it. 45i respect their leadership for it. then the president of china an s over and we give 4i78 incredible dinner. a state dinner in washington. i buy them a mcdonalds. when they say they want anything trump, they know how i talk and what i say. but they respect it, they respect it. country is really -- we're losing jobs by the millions. have jobs. we don't manufacture like we did. and if you look at china, if you look at what they do with boeing, with caterpillar, secrets, ey take the they take the patents, they make there.ld plants over they don't want caterpillar tractors built in bee your yeah the united states.

they want it built over there. why are we doing this? this?e we doing it's no great secret. and if they're going to manipulate their currency and badly, and this is, whyn, other countries also, are we not taxing them so that more product becomes expensive. what will happen is it will go into effect they will top manipulation so fast your head will spin. they don't believe our leader, leader, and they don't think our leaders are very smart. it's a problem. it's a problem. [ applause ] time north korea as an up.mple acts up, they act you know, a little wacky. okay, we've got missiles. up.th korea calls

hey, we need protection. south korea.s in they don't believe they get free protection. we get our battleships and carriers. we get our planes. every time you turn on an engine an aircraft carrier it takes million dollars. of television s settles for a job i'm building. korea. made in they don't make them here. television sets in some part of the country. they don't make them here. you go to japan, you go to south korea. protect south korea. let them pay us for it. what are we doing? what are we doing?

[ applause ] and you know it's amazing i hear so many people -- conservative politicians, i'm conservatives, liberals, i do a lot of business. meet everybody. but i literally hear these can you ying, hey, how say a thing like that. that's so nasty, you know? says. what the mafia the mafia gets money for protection. what.ght, so they tell me, but that's the mafia says that. i'm trying to , be nice, respectful. give me a break. they don't believe they get away with it. spend hundreds of millions, billions of dollars protecting other countries. we get nothing. only don't we get, they don't respect us, they don't like us. at us, they take advantage of us. we get nothing.

south korea making a fortune. you can't make a ship built south korea -- in terms of the big tankers and freight ships. it. can't do they have a huge thing and we protect them at tremendous cost and we get nothing, nothing. look at a place like mexico. mexico in the next couple of years is going to be our -- we're going to be importing half of the things we get from mexico. all started a number of years ago. we all remember it. iowa, some places in frankly, i watch 60 minutes, also, places in iowa where the whole factory moved to mexico. what? they get tax subsidies for us? they get tax subsidies in brazil. you get an airplane made in brazil you get a subsidy from the united states. way.upposed to be that so there's such a lack of intelligence. know, i'd almost say it's dishonesty, because these

countries have the right lobbyists or pure stupidity. probably a combination of both. it is. it's amazing. things i look at so strongly, you look at places like north dakota where they're going wild and you look at what we found -- you know, has really shown that we are rich again. it. we can't get because of the environmentalists which, frankly, i do well with environmentalists, i build all over. awards -- i know you're shocked to hear this. it's sometimes not easy to get the projects going. i do. but we can't drill, we can't can't do many things to out this incredible wealth of the ground, wealth to make us

rich, wealth that will make care security, medicare, medicaid. when i was looking to run last time. was only thinking about it really once. but i was looking at it pollusly and getting great numbers. i don't know if they liked me or not but they liked what i said. i said is what i'm saying now. nothing changes. me.le agree with nothing ever change p changes. robably worse now than it's ever been. when i was thinking about really felt, and i was so honored. about doing it, talking it, i love the country. like a slogan, make america great again. i had to add the word "again. in 2016, china is the great economic power in the world. and this was unthinkable ten ago.s if you said that, people would laugh at you.

happens mething drastically, they become the economic power of the world they us in 2016. whoever is prn, you don't want that to happen. be a very, very sad day to me and i think to a lot of when that happens. interesting ry because i like mitt it romney personally. i think he's a very good guy. the hell ow what happened with his campaign. i just don't get it. an election that couldn't have been lost. it couldn't have been lost. and with me building all over shows and "the i'm doing so many things. have great children, ivanka and don and eric. they're good kids. it's hard.

not like a politician, you say i want to run for office. ven if they lose, they gain, they gain recognition. with me, it's tough. mitt it romney. said i'd ked me and like for you to do campaigns in north states like in carolina and michigan and different places. during the primary. robo calls. i made great robo calls. they were vicious, they were brutal. they gave me the most pathetic thing to say. you're listening, would you please back mitt it romney. fellow.wonderful i said if i say that, so i really hit them hard with how is, how bad everything else is. they were great. they did very well. every single state they asked me to go to or do some phone calls or do some

television, he won in the primaries. the hen it came to election, the general election, felt i was a little controversial. i really do. didn't mind, you know, to honest, i love florida. i didn't need to go to television to talk about mitt it romney. if i'm going to talk about somebody, i want to talk about you.lf, i'll be honest with hard for me, but it's true. hard for me to build up somebody else. hell.at the but he was a good man. but something happened. something happened. debate, thing, the first it was looking good. the second was a total collapse. dis hird was a total saturd -- disaster. mistake. was a

we didn't send anyone in to get the bad people. we know who they are and we send anybody in. how pathetic is that? kill our ambassador who by he way was proudly riding in the open jeep the week before, like the wind" the rebels are taking over. and he's proudly going through everybody. waving to hen what they did to him was unbelievable. the killing was terrible but in killing d to him him was beyond. and, of course, the other gentleman. have retribution. why aren't we getting them? are.now who they and in a certain way, that is just something that is unacceptable. ran, something appened -- the subject we all

remember of benghazi was brought up. mitt said the president was handling benghazi well. bad things ot of happened in that campaign. spent $400 million on ads. didn't win the election. by the way, they were the worst i've ever seen. i know something about ads. some of the ads. even the republican party, speaking, the ads were bad. in about obama speaking germany. he said we don't want a rock president. he was speaking in front

so $4 hillary in good health, i know her well and her husband very well. she's probably going to be the nominee if you look at polls and everything, it will be in my a tougher race than the last race, really tougher. and somebody is going to have to who's really smart and really tough. been e obama should have beaten. hillary is going to be tougher beat. and the republicans have to do what's right. don't pick the right person. and i mean the right person. perfect. be the perfect person, drummed ining to get the 2016 election. that's not going to be a good thing. country has to be brought back from the edge. this country has to be brought edge.from the it's ready to go over. it can be saved, but there's a to be t which it's going

too late. so the republicans have to get tough. and very smart. it fast.have to do you have important elections in '14.p unbelievably important presidential election coming up. long while, a long time from now. we had the opportunity and unfortunately, things didn't work out. have a country that has to be brought back through great leadership. and if we don't pick the right to have e're not going great leadership and this count in deep going to be and perhaps permanent trouble. you it's an, i tell tonight.be here i loved flying in and looking at that the activity under

airplane. i see people going to town in hat beautiful farms and acreage. i don't see that so much in new york. it's a little different view. who live in riends iowa, great people, hardworking people, amazing people. been an honor to be with you tonight. thank you all very much. thank you, thank you. thank you very much. [ applause ] >> thank you, thank you, bob. [ applause ] >> on saturday, president obama florida to do, discuss the disabled american veterans national convention. talked about the priorities for veterans and military

families including the backlog disability claims, health care, educational

disabled veterans like all heartn, you carry in your the story of brave service that took you to every corner of the earth. men and women, you left left everything and everyone you ever knew because storm clouds gathered far across the sea. ahead d your whole lives of you. to risk all of it for this land that we love. ecause you know from hard experience what we must never forget -- our country endures because in every generation,

are americans like you who stand beside her and guide her protect her. across the pacific, island by island. the heart of europe mile-by-mile, saving millions from fascism. veterans ofegacy as the second world war. held the line of the survived the bitter cold of the reservoir. anniversary of the end of that war, we salute ll of our veterans of the korean war. to our vietnam veterans, [ applause ] ou served with valor not just in the thick of the jungle but n intense urban combat and let

it be remembered that you won every major battle that you fought in. [ applause ] so in the decades since when our country has needed you, you said send me. from the sands of desert storm. mountains of the balkans. of afghanistan and iraq, and next year, your will be sacrifice recognized in the heart of our nation's capital when we'll dedicate our veterans disabled for life memorial. [ applause ] that memorial will honor your courage in a war. ut it will also pay tribute to your bravery and the other battles you have fought, the fight to recover from the wounds

of war. your greatest triumph of all. defined rather than be by what you can't do, you inspired america with what you can do. maybe you lost your sight but you can still see the truth that veterans make extraordinary contributions to our country every single day. you lost an arm but you have the trength to pick up a friend or neighbor in need. maybe you lost a leg but you for the values and freedoms that make america the greatest nation on earth. think of the wounded warrior who spoke for so many of you life will d, your never be the same but that

can't go on to do amazing things with the mazing chance you reeve been given. think of wounded warriors across america and how they used that second chance, volunteering communities, building homes, being a mentor to local kids. after tornado, after hurricane sandy to help folks rebuild. wounded warriors who reached out the the survivors of the boston marathon example of the their own recovery and with a stand with ge -- we you. i think of all of the inspiring ounded warriors that michelle and i have met, their resilience, their resolve, their determination to push through and to carry on. fighting spirit of our wounded warriors. is the spirit of the a.v.

dedicated. not just to your own recovery, but to taking care of each other. every day, you worked to ensure that america is fulfilling its to our men and women who have served. that's your mission. it's my t you to know, mission too. i believe this work is more important than ever. ecause this time of war that we've been in is coming to an end. nearly 12 years, every since on that clear d september morning, our nation has been at war. in afghanistan is now america's longest war. our troopssame time, fought courageously in iraq for nine long years.

today are proud veterans of if wars in afghanistan and iraq. now we've marked another milestone in afghanistan. past june, afghan forces have taken the lead for entire across their country. nstead of leading the fight, the troops have a different mission. our war in afghanistan has chapter.he final more of our troops are coming home. this winter will be down to 34,000. end of next year, the transition will be complete. afghans will take full for their ity security and our war in afghanistan will be over. [ applause ] for this progress, we thank all who served in afghanistan members here today. mention.w i want to

we salute folks like timothy -- timothy. right here. early days of the war, timothy's helicopter unit served in some of the most remote parts afghanistan. in another tour in iraq, the iud.oy was hit by an he endured three spinal surgeries. the he went to school on post 9/11 g.i. bill. the he's helping at d.a.v., helping families and their benefit. that's the kind of spirit it represents. outstanding your service. we salute staff sarge jacari hogan. jacari? hit by ieds was

three times. she's endures surgeried, rehab, which continue to this day. refused to stop serving. again to ed afghanistan. afghanistan. she served at bases, getting along the way. and those remote outposts, she the only woman on base. she proudly wears the combat action badge. [ applause ] but her service hasn't stopped. others as counsels they recover. helping troops is what i'm about. what she says. nd we're grateful to you for

your extraordinary service. and we salute jason. where's jason? right here. jason's unit was ambushed and pinned down, he was hit five times in the chest. on. he pushed helped to lead his men to safety for which he earned the silver star. after months. [ applause ] after months of care and rehab, unit, going to his out on patrol. gritting his teeth through the chest. his and today at d.a.v., he helps his fellow vets access the earned. they have it's my job to help people heal, that's what jason says, thank you.

jacari, jason, they're just examples of all who war.d in these years of the 9/11 generation. beginning the next chapter in your lives. proud new title. veteran of the united states armed forces. so this time of war may be coming to an end, but the job of goes on.r our veterans and our work caring for our just veterans has only begun. about it. we lost the last veteran of the years ago. war two but we still care for the hildren of our world war i veterans. to this day, we still help care fought dren of men who in the spanish-american war.

even the daughter of a civil war veteran. we -- when we -- so when e talk ant fulfilling our promises to all who serve, we're not just talking about a few years. we're talking about decades. for as long as you and your families walked this earth. with the new generation joining that now , i believe is the time to make sure our nation is truly ready. organized and structured to get this right, not just for this year, not just for next year, decades to come. not just for the veterans of today's wars, but for all wars. nd i believe we need to focus on five key priorities. one, we need to make sure e have the resources and budgets our veterans deserve.

since i took office, we've made historic investments in our veterans. even in these tough, fiscal times, we've boosted the v.a. budget by more than 40%. we now budget for veterans' year in advance. further increase in veterans' funding for next year. of you may be aware right now, we've got these across the board budget cuts called the sequester folks e hess itting the hard, costing job, hurting military, slashing investment in education, science, and medical research. the e it clear that veterans' benefits are exempt from this year's sequester. i made that clear. but i want to tell you going to protecte best way

the v.a. care you have earned is rid of the sequester all together. to come together and agree on a responsible plan our deficits and eeps our promises to our veterans. and keeps our promises to future generations. that's what i'm fighting for. that's what you deserve. number two -- we need to make sure you're getting the veterans' health care you've been promised. already making record investments, more outreach, our cs, service, for vietnam vets, we made sure your got the disability pay you deserve because of your orange. when to agent for our desert storm veterans,

you get the ear services you need. ptsd, we eterans for made it easier for you to get the care you need as well of the war you served in. for our women's veterans. there are more of you than ever, offering more tailored care, more clinics just for more clinicians trained you with respect and dignity. told, we made v.a. health care available to more than 2 million veterans who didn't have it before. i proposed more funding for disabled s for our vets to help you work and walk and run again. you, the care givers and families, we're going keep skills ngs you with the and support you need as you care for the veterans that you love.

we also need to keep improving mental health services because epidemic of d this suicide among our veterans and troops. this had to beid an all hands on deck approach, not just the d.o.d. and the v.a., but across our government. i issued an executive order to have.p our game, we hiring more counselors, hiring more mental health providers. campaigns, so that those who are hurting know that ofing for help is not a sign weakness. strong.part of staying it's a part of getting back up. hundreds of medical and nursing schools have committed to research and care for our veterans and their families. funding for e

mental health. we can't just promise better we have to deliver better care. we need to unveil a new national plan to guide mental health research across government, industry, and we'll focus on developing more effective ways and treat diagnose, ental health conditions like ptsd and to get it done we're doing it with more than in research. be satisfied until every eteran, every man and woman, needs the help and support they need to stay strong. now, on the subject of veterans' you may notice there's still a lot of misinformation out there about he new health care law,

affordable care act. some folks are out there trying to scare people, including veterans. this as plainly as i can -- if you already have health insurance or health care v.a., you do not have to do a thing. your v.a. health care does not change. safe. there are no new fees. don't let them hoodwink you. ut the good news is if you're among one of the more than 1 don't have rans who health insurance, starting october 1, you'll have a new marketplaces e will help you shop and compare and buy private health insurance lans just like you can go on-line to compare prices when you buy a tv or an airplane ticket or a car. the affordable care act, insurance companies will no longer be able to against you or deny you coverage because a

pre-existing conditions like ptsd. so you'll have more security in to get health insurance. so don't let them fool you. your 's taking away benefits. your veterans health care is safe. not reducing veterans' access to health care. we're expanding it. the truth. and that leaves me with the third priority we've got to focus on. to attack this claims backlog. that -- last time i was with to cut the ed backlog, slash the wait times, deliver your benefits soon. be honest with you, it has not moved a as fast as i wanted. it is all of the eterans in the system who came in agent orange, ptsd, it meant more claims.

resources, it's been longer rates and that's been unacceptable. president soto the we put more folks hiring as processes. we have them working overtime, 1 million more than claims a year. prior titz veteran claims. rae ready, they're in better shape and can move quicker. today we're not where we need to we're making progress. we are making progress. so after years when the backlog finally, the backlog is shrinking. alone, we're nth down more than 20%. we're turning the tide. we're not going to let up until

eliminate the backlog once and for all and we'll keep ahead with paperless systems so the backlog doesn't come back and your claims are the first time on time. after years of military service, you shouldn't have to wait for benefits you've earned. to defend ou fought our rights and freedoms, we need to uphold the dignity and rights veteran. that starts by keeping up our campaign to end homelessness among veterans. we're not just bringing the off of the streets, reach peopleore to they don't become homeless in the first place. we're not going to rest until

who fought in america has a home in america. yesterday i was signing the law to allow you and those of prosthetics can travel with dignity. know how disappointing it was when the senate failed to approve a disabilities treaty espite a former senator and world war ii veteran, bob dole, the senate chamber. e're going to keep fighting to ratify that treaty. because the united states has always been a leader for the disabled. we believe disabled americans like you deserve the same pportunities to work, study, travel, in other countries as any other american. it's the right thing to do. get it done.

to make sure every american has the opportunity to pursue the american dream, starting with the education and worthy of your extraordinary talents. with the new transition assistance program, we're doing help departing service members and their spouses plan that new ers and find job. we're going to keep helping the and their rans families to get a better bill.ion under the g.i. we're building as you go looking for schools. dishonestd up against recruit ugh and predatory practices that target our veterans so we set new standards and so far more than 6,000 schools across the country have igned on and pledged to do right by you and your families. we don't want our veterans cheated.

i said schools need to step up so we can better help our veterans on campus. so we're announcing what we call keys to success, specific steps that schools can take to truly welcome and encourage our veterans. so far, more than 250 community colleges and universities have on.ed and today i'm calling on schools across america to join us in effort. let's help our veterans get that degree, get that credential, and compete for the high-skilled jobs of tomorrow. now, i'm going to make sure that the federal government keeps part.its i'm very proud of the fact that since i took office, federal have ments and agencies hired nearly 300,000 veterans,

including many disabled veterans. calling on keep congress to pass the veteran's job corps. doing everything we can to help you get the private sector jobs. searches, with job more tools like the on-lines jobs bank to connect veterans to now, hat are open right making it easier for you to transfer your skills to the icenses and credentials you need for civilian jobs. and because tens of thousands of have been helped, congress needs to make permanent that edits for companies hire our veterans and wounded warriors. do. the right thing we're going to urge americans across the country do the smart hire some of the best workers you'll ever find -- hire

a vet. michelle has done great work on this to respond to the challenge working with joining forces. america's businesses have hired andrained 290,000 vet raabs military spouses and committed to hiring over 400,000 more. signing up es are all the time. we are going to get companies to that you can't get a better deal than hiring a veteran. because of all of the efforts i described and because of a rowing economy, veterans' unemployment is going down, more veterans are finding jobs, and we're going to keep at this. because with your skills and drive, we don't just want you overseas.for america we want you to be right here a stronger america. fighting for a better future for kids.

n -- ensure the resources you've earned, delivering the health care that you earned, making sure you can count on it. backlog, standing up for your rights and dignity, creating jobs and opportunities dreams.an realize your focused on.i'm that is what i told my entire to be focussed on. that's what the country needs to focused for the many years to come. one knows this better than you, our disabled veterans. the road to recovery is often such a long haul. america needs to be there for you during that long haul. lesson of the extraordinary young man i told you about when i spoke with you years ago.

first classsergeant cory ramsburg. massive ied in afghanistan nearly killed him. he was in a coma for months with traumatic brain injury nd i told you then he was out of the coma but still couldn't speak. feeling,ked how he was he slowly brought his hand up and he pulled his fingers together and gave a thumbs up. mom was silting there with me. a few days ago, i saw cory and is family again, this time in phoenix where they live. i wanted to give you an update on how he's doing. want -- i suspect it won't for ise you to know that cory, the years since he was injured have been very hard. brain surgeries, half a dozen of

them. surgeries to replace part of his skull. eye surgeries. special procedures on his lungs. graphs. skin flaps. surgeries ozens of and procedures. rehab has been grueling. day, cory wakes up nd spends hours in therapy, physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy. progress has come slowly. but it has come. to learn the simple things all over again. how to speak, how to write his how to throw a ball. this past spring, he reached another milestone. years in the hospital in rehab facilities, he finally hundreds greeted by of neighbors and friends, waving american flaggings.

cory a few days ago, he's still blind in one eye. he still struggles to move his side. but the young man i had seen in to hospital bed unable speak, barely able to move, this time, he was in a chair, sitting alert, smiling, talking. nd then he wanted to show me something. he leaned out of his chair. grabbed his t and wallet. with the help of his parents, he ulled himself forward, stood up, and he looked at me and gave me a sharp salute. and he said -- [ applause ] >> he said rangers lead the way! and his step mom held one arm held the e and i other.

other. hen cory took a step and another and another one after that, all the way across the room.